Sun Digest

SUN NEWS DIGEST

Tornadoes tore across the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City, ripped walls off a downtown church and killed a woman in a mobile home outside town. pg 3a

WORLD

2 Marines killed, 22 hurt in Iraq

Two U.S. Marines were killed and 22 wounded -- two of them critically -- in fighting in western Iraq, the U.S. military said. It was the biggest number of American casualties reported from a single engagement in weeks. pg 8a

MARYLAND

Ehrlich mulls new electric plan

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is considering a new plan to mitigate a looming 72 percent increase in electric rates under a program that would require those who pay rates to explicitly choose to participate -- a provision that opponents fear might unfairly affect the poor and elderly. pg 1a

SPORTS

Napravnik rides out meet

Apprentice jockey Rosie Napravnik will wrap up Laurel Park's winter meeting today with her first professional meet title. Going into the last day, Napravnik, 18, has 97 wins. Her nearest rival, jockey Erick Rodriguez, has 55. pg 1c

Orioles edge Angels, 6-5

Ramon Hernandez's ninth-inning homer lifted the Orioles over the Los Angeles Angels, 6-5, before 25,415 at Camden Yards. Jay Gibbons, David Newhan and Nick Markakis also homered for the Orioles. pg 1c

BUSINESS

Pulling corporate parachutes

In the world of executive compensation, where ballooning exit packages for corporate America have become a lightning rod for shareholders and corporate ethicists, some corporations, including Baltimore-based Mercantile Bankshares Corp., have moved to waive that contractual perk, feeling the backlash against such arrangements. pg 1a

Delta, pilots union reaches deal

Delta Air Lines Inc. yesterday avoided a possible strike for now by reaching a tentative deal with negotiators for its pilots' union on permanent pay cuts. Now comes what could be the harder part for the nation's third-largest carrier: getting its 5,930 pilots, who came to the brink of a walkout, to approve the deal. pg 9c

TODAY

High-tech hide-and-seek

Geocaching is 21st-century treasure hunting that uses a high-tech toy -- a global positioning system receiver -- to guide seekers toward a hidden container through satellite tracking. The game is attracting a growing number of players. pg 1d

Quote Of the day

"This is community communicating the importance of Good Friday and Easter and giving great witness. Without Good Friday, there would be no Christian faith."

The Rev. Larry Steen of Westminster Baptist Church, on the Good Friday cross processional in Westminster Article, PG 1B